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Tuesday, May 31, 2016

"Butler" by Richard Strand. A re-mounting of the original New Jersey Repertory Company production at 59E59 Theaters in theater A.

Produced again by SuzAnne Barabas and Gabor Barabas
With Ben Sterling, David Sitler, John Williams.

Directed by Joe Discher and Stage Managed by Rose Riccardi. Costumes by Patricia Doherty. Lighting by Jill Nagle. Sound by Merek Royce Press. Properties and wonderful set design by Jessica Parks.
July 14 through August 28, 2016.

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT ON JUNE 4 AND JUNE 5
AT LITTLE FIREHOUSE THEATRE IN ORADELL, NJ

Oradell, NJ, May 31, 2016 – Bergen County Players, winner of NJACT's 2015 Community Theatre of the Year and located at the Little Firehouse Theatre, 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, is proud to present “An Evening of One Act Plays”, written by past and current members of BCP and directed by Frank Osmers, for a limited run on June 4 and June 5. This show contains mature content and language.

Within the ranks of the Bergen County Players are some amazingly talented writers, some of whom have already had plays published and performed. “An Evening of One Act Plays” presents 5 plays that cover a wide spectrum of entertaining and thought-provoking subjects. This is
a unique opportunity to experience a series of extraordinary and new plays in an intimate setting.

“Burping the Baby” by Eileen Deutsch, is a short comic piece about a man and a woman struggling mightily to entertain the audience, a.k.a. "The Baby" with a variety of tactics.

“Remember Love”, by Elaine Davis is about two sisters struggling to agree on what to do with their aging mother, who has memory issues.

“Tim Eless: Private Eye” by Stephen Kaplan is about whether a private eye with a short memory can handle a case brought by a leggy femme fatale.

“A Room Forever” by Lisa Dahlborg is about a son that finds his mother after many years. Has her “profession” made her children who they are?

“Flood Insurance” by John Kiely is a brief snapshot of the damage to people’s lives by Hurricane Sandy.

All performances for "An Evening of One Act Plays" take place at The Little Firehouse Theatre at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, home to the Bergen County Players since 1949. Performance times are Saturday, June 4 at 8 pm, and Sunday, June 5 at 2 pm.

Tickets for "An Evening of One Act Plays" are $11 for all
performances, and can be purchased online at www.bcplayers.org, by calling 201-261-4200 or by visiting the box office at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell during regular box office hours. Visa, Master Card and
American Express are accepted.

Those interested in Group Sales of 20 or more tickets can email groups@bcplayers.org or call the main number and press #6.

Parking is free at the Park Avenue municipal lot, across the street, one-half block north of the theatre.

The Bergen County Players has grown tremendously from its roots as a small community theatre when it was founded in 1932; today, more than 300 volunteer members, working on and off stage, make possible the nine productions presented each season.

New Jersey Repertory Company, located at 179 Broadway in Long Branch, to present the World Premiere of STRUCK by Sandy Rustin.

After being hit by a bicycle while crossing an East Village intersection, Vera Resnick's simple, predictable life is about to take an unexpected turn. Is it coincidence that brought Vera and the bicyclist together or are greater forces at play? STRUCK is a serious comedy about a possibly cosmic event that deals with the search for truth in the face of deception.

Previews begin Thursday, June 30 with Opening night Saturday, July 2 at New Jersey Repertory Company (179 Broadway, Long Branch), and will run through Sunday, July 31, 2016. Tickets may be purchased by calling 732-229-3166 or at www.njrep.org.

Friday, May 27, 2016

PARSIPPANY, NJ – The Women’s Theater Company, a professional theater company in Parsippany, NJ, presents “Marry Me A Little”,lyrics and music written by Stephen Sondheim.

The revue sets songs cut from Sondheim’s better-known musical about the relationship between two lonely New York single people, who are in emotional conflict during an evening in their separate one-room apartments. Despite knowing of the other’s existence, they never get up the courage to talk to each other, though they imagine what such an encounter may be like.

“Marry Me A Little” runs May 27-June 5; Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 3 pm. Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors. To purchase tickets online please visit www.womenstheater.org or call 973-316-3033.

The Women’s Theater Company is located at the Parsippany Playhouse at 1130 Knoll

The Women’s Theater Company’s mission is to provide a fertile environment for the advancement of professional women theater artists and to provide quality theater for the community at large. Through their main stage, educational outreach, and new works development programs, the Women’s Theater Company supports the development of new women artists, promotes new works in the American theater, and provides entertaining and enriching productions for growing audiences. Women’s Theater Company is located at The Parsippany Playhouse, 1130 Knoll Road, Parsippany, NJ. For more information contact 973-316-3033, or email info@womenstheater.org.

The Women’s Theater Company is proud to be a member of the New Jersey Theater Alliance. Funding for the Women’s Theater Company has been made possible in part by funds for the Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Art/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Women’s Theater is proud to be a member of the Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce.

Dreamcatcher's Summer Theatre Conservatory has been redesigned for the summer of 2016 as a three-week theatre experience in Summit, NJ. We have combined the best of our conservatory, where students build skills and study with theatre professionals in a variety of subjects, with our beloved Dreamcatcher Junior program, where the students create and perform their own play.

I believe that anyone can improvise - anyone! And if you're saying, "Nuh-uh, not me!" then I must respectfully disagree. Sorry to be so blunt, but I've witnessed it time and time again. ANYONE can improvise.

-Lulu French, Instructor

Instructor * Improv

Lulu French has been improvising for the past sixteen years. She started improv taking classes at Gotham City Improv and has appeared in numerous improv shows at Gotham including the long-running Off the Top of Our Heads. Lulu taught all levels of improvisation at Gotham for ten years and has directed several of Gotham's performance ensembles. Lulu also has taught improv to youths for Broadway Classrooms and CentreStage, and NYU drama students at Stonestreet Studios. In addition to her study at GCI she has also studied with the Upright Citizens Brigade including Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) and Matt Walsh (Players), and various other Chicago improv alumni including Todd Stashwick (Heroes).

Madison, NJ – Student playwrights from all over New Jersey will be converging on the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown this June 20 and 21, as the winning plays from this year’s New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest and Festival are rehearsed, revised, and then presented to the public by Writers Theatre of New Jersey’s professional actors and directors. Writers Theatre received over 350 submissions this year from young playwrights throughout the state.

These are the 2016 winning playwrights from each of the three divisions and their respective plays:

Elementary School Division:

The Core of the Family by David Lorenzo Whetton, a home-schooled student

The Value of Ten Dollars by Vanya Dhamija, Madison Junior School

Political Nightmare by Artha Abeysinghe, Madison Junior School

The Sleepover by Caitryn Tronoski from Long Valley Middle School received an Honorary Mention in the Elementary School division.

Junior High School Division:

Scout by Ava Vignone, Eisenhower Middle School

Tiles by Imani Pollard, Union County Academy for Performing Arts

Wings by Nate Shectman, Union County Academy for Performing Arts

Fear Factor by Gregory Latronica and Don't You Sleep? by Alexandria Riley, both of Eisenhower Middle School, received Honorable Mentions in the Jr. High School Division.

High School Division:

Corn Maze by Francesca Badalamenti, Newark Academy

Death Rows by Jasmine Sharma, Bergen County Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts

Infinite Confusion by Myriam Burger, Bergen County Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts

All of the winning plays will be presented at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, New Jersey. The Elementary and Junior High School winners will have their plays performed on June 20 at 7 PM and the High School winners will have their plays performed on June 21 at 7 PM.

At 33 years, the New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival is the third-oldest playwriting contest for youth in the country. Since 1983, over 500 young writers have seen their scripts developed and performed by professional actors and thousands more have participated and learned to truly enjoy writing.

Participants receive written two critiques from professional playwrights, semifinalists in the contest are required to revise their scripts, and finalists work with professional mentors to continue to hone their plays prior to the final performance. Throughout the process, students’ work is treated in the same manner as submissions from professional playwrights. As one student said of what she valued most in the process: “I did this work and you took me seriously.”

Seeing their work valued and having the opportunity to learn alongside professionals helps to imbue students with a love of writing, and many playwrights continue long after the festival ends. For Christina Lopez, of Chatham High School, Uncovering Moonshine is her sixth play, and she’s won the competition once before, in 2009. Artha Abeysinghe, one of this year’s Elementary School winners, saw his play, Sibling Rivalry, win the 2015 contest.

Writers Theatre of New Jersey also continues the relationship with playwrights after the end of the contest - this year, the theatre has commissioned 2014 NJYPF winner, Alexa Derman, to write a new play to be performed by Madison High School students in the Madison Senior Recreation show this Summer.

Writers Theatre is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, professional (Actors’ Equity) theatre and a community of professional playwrights, theatre artists, and arts educators that provides opportunities for writers to develop their works in a nurturing environment and connect with new audiences. Our New Play Development Program is a multi-step process through which playwrights, theatre artists, and audiences collaborate to bring selected texts from rough draft to finished production.

Our Education Programs introduce students of all ages and backgrounds to the possibilities inherent in thinking and communicating creatively. Writers Theatre’s New Jersey Writers Project provides hands-on workshops led by professional writers-in-residence to students in schools and community centers throughout the state. We place an equal emphasis on Development and Educational activities, and encourage our community and audiences to participate fully in both.We are honored that, every year since 2003, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) has designated Writers Theatre as a Major Arts Institution. This means that the Council considers Writers Theatre to be “an anchor institution that contributes vitally to the quality of life in New Jersey.”

Funding for our activities comes from: the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc., Dramatist Guild Fund, Horizon Foundation of New Jersey, The Shubert Foundation, The Victoria Foundation, and many corporations, foundations and individuals.

Writers Theatre is a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the National New Play Network, and Madison Arts & Culture Alliance.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

New Brunswick, N.J. — An absurd, dark comedy about a New Jersey family who finds themselves suddenly dealing with an environmental cleanup in their backyard — literally — makes its debut at George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, N.J., with a pair of 8 p.m. performances June 3 and 4, with post-play discussions to follow each night. Admission is free, but reservations are recommended as seating is limited. To reserve seats, please visit www.georgestreetplayhouse.org or call the box office at 732-246-7717.

Terra Incognita, written by R.N. Sandberg, finds Joseph and Lena — after having just paid off their mortgage — looking forward to a bright and beautiful future until they discover the underground storage tank in their backyard is leaking. Suddenly, their life becomes a labyrinth of complex, bizarre and illogical attempts to clean up the fuel-soaked soil beneath their home and prevent it from contaminating the groundwater and their marriage.

The play is directed by Jim Jack, Director of Education and Outreach at George Street Playhouse, and features Matt Baguth, Di Shawn Gandy, Kym Gomes, Frances Pu and Dave Seamon.

Terra Incognita will be followed by a “TalkBack” discussion with a panel of local journalists and community members, allowing for the questions and views raised in the production and the stories, to be discussed in a post-show dialogue touching on homeownership, responsibility and the toxic legacy that affects us all. Be a part of the conversation by following The Center for Investigative Reporting on Twitter (@Reveal) and Facebook (facebook.com/ThisIsReveal).

This StoryWorks production from George Street Playhouse and The Center for Investigative Reporting is inspired by the NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams investigative reporting series, "Toxic, NJ," reported by correspondent Brenda Flanagan. The series is part of Dirty Little Secrets, a collaborative reporting project investigating New Jersey’s toxic legacy. Participating news partners include New Jersey Public Radio/WNYC, WHYY, NJTV, NJ Spotlight, Jersey Shore Hurricane News, WBGO, New Brunswick Today and the Rutgers Department of Journalism and Media Studies. The Dirty Little Secrets project is coordinated by The Center for Investigative Reporting with help from the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State, with support from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. More information about the series can be found atwww.toxicnj.com.

“StoryWorks gets to the emotional truth of investigative journalism. Based on facts and allowing for artistic exploration, we delve into the personal stories behind the headlines and create dialogue through theater,” said Jennifer Welch, artistic director and co-creator of StoryWorks from the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR). Through CIR’s groundbreaking StoryWorks project, we commission and stage original plays inspired by fact-based investigations. StoryWorks is deadline driven, tapping into both the responsive nature of journalism and the live excitement of theater. Independent playwrights work with our reporting teams and legal counsel to ensure the work is immediate, accurate and emotionally compelling. Each production also includes a “talk back” after the performance, during which the audience is able to be in conversation with reporters, playwrights, actors, experts, advocates and others. To date, CIR has produced seven plays focused on a wide range of issues including, among others: the plight of homeless female veterans, the neglect of disabled and elderly residents living in one of the Richmond, California’s worst public housing complexes, the impact of fumigants on residents near California's massive strawberry fields, vulnerable workers in the oil fields of North Dakota, abuse of developmentally disabled adults in the state’s care, and more. Now, for the first time, CIR is partnering with the George Street Playhouse and NJTV to bring the innovative StoryWorks series to New Jersey. http://storyworks.revealnews.org

R. N. Sandberg's (playwright) plays have been seen in Australia, Canada, England, Japan, Panama and South Korea, as well as at theaters throughout the U.S. They are published by Playscripts and Dramatic Publishing and include Anne of Green Gables, Convivencia, Done, Evenings In Evenings Out, Frankenstein, In Between, Jarpteetza/The Firebird, A Little Princess, The Moonstone, The Odyssey, Roundelay, What Can’t Be Seen and A Woman of Means. He has been commissioned by, among others, McCarter Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Dramatic Publishing Company, Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Seattle Children’s Theatre. Terra Incognita is the third piece he's written for George Street Playhouse. He teaches playwriting, acting and dramatic literature at Princeton University.

Jim Jack (director) recently directed My Name is Asher Lev at George Street Playhouse. Directing credits for GSP’s Educational Tour and Community-based programs include: Our Town Now; Gabi Goes Green!; Austin the Unstoppable; IRL: in real life; New Kid; Peacemaker; and Break the Chains. Additional New York and regional credits include: The Road; Where is Home?; The Way It Was; K2 (Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Direction); Life and Limb; The Dumb Waiter; and The Zoo Story.

Brenda Flanagan (journalist) is a New Jersey transplant circa 1979 (from New Orleans, via Maine). She has won four Emmy® Awards for her work including an undercover investigative series on racial profiling, consumer safety stories and team coverage for “Miracle on the Hudson: Flight 1549,” among many other awards. She began her career in TV journalism at New Jersey Network and moved to WWOR-TV, where she established the station’s Trenton Bureau and anchored public affairs programs. She covered the New Jersey Legislature and governor’s office (five governors) and national political conventions and has reported on mainstream New Jersey issues.

George Street Playhouse has become a nationally recognized theatre, presenting an acclaimed mainstage season while providing an artistic home for established and emerging theatre artists. Its leadership consists of Artistic Director David Saint, Resident Artistic Director Michael Mastro and Managing Director Kelly Ryman. Founded in 1974, the Playhouse has been well represented by numerous productions both on and off-Broadway, including the Outer Critics’ Circle Best Musical Award-winner The Toxic Avenger; the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League nominated production of The Spitfire Grill;and the Broadway hit and Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at GSP during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays. In 2015, George Street Playhouse was represented by two productions in New York: the recent Broadway production of It Shoulda Been You, and Joe DiPietro’s Clever Little Lies, which played off-Broadway from October 2015 into early 2016. Both shows received their premieres at the Playhouse. In addition to its mainstage season, GSP’s Educational Touring Theatre features three issue-oriented productions that are seen by more than 40,000 students annually. George Street Playhouse programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) is the nation’s first independent, multiplatform investigative reporting organization. Devoted to holding powerful interests accountable to the public trust, CIR creatively employs cutting-edge technology and innovative storytelling to reveal injustice, spark change at all levels of society and influence public dialogue on critical issues. With PRX, CIR co-produces the nationally distributedReveal radio show and podcast, which features CIR’s reporting, as well as stories from public radio stations and a wide range of media partners, both nonprofit and commercial. CIR produces high-impact reporting across print, video, TV, radio and online platforms and is the recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, winner of 2013 and 2015 Emmy Awards and a 2013 George Foster Peabody Award, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2012 (for local reporting) and 2013 (for public service). For more, visit revealnews.org.

StoryWorks, in its third season, is on a mission to challenge, inspire and heal our community by creating visceral theater experiences that are bold and truthful. Over the last two and half years, StoryWorks has commissioned and produced five productions, toured in affected communities, translated and performed work in Spanish and challenged theater and journalism to work in innovative ways to represent our world and the immediate issues that confront us. The StoryWorks project has been featured in the The Washington Post, the Columbia Journalism Review, the San Francisco Chronicle, among others. It is an honor to present the world premiere of Terra Incognita in collaboration with George Street Playhouse and NJTV.

NJTV is New Jersey’s public television network, bringing quality arts, education and public affairs programming to all 21 counties in New Jersey and its tri-state neighbors. The network’s flagship news broadcast, NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams, features stories from across the Garden State utilizing the Agnes Varis NJTV Studio in Newark, its studios at the Trenton Statehouse and New Jersey City University, and remote cameras at university content bureaus as well as media partners. The NJTV website offers online programs and free digital resources for educators. NJTV is comprised of WNJN, WNJS, WNJB and WNJT, which collectively broadcast throughout New Jersey. NJTV is operated under an agreement with the state of New Jersey by Public Media NJ, Inc. (PMNJ), a non-profit affiliate of WNET, parent company of award-winning New York public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21.